As our new government assumes power, we stand at the threshold of a potentially transformative new era for our education system.
It is a similar juncture, in many ways, to the aftermath of Clement Attlee’s sweeping electoral triumph in 1945, as he sought to steer our country towards a better future after the tumultuous wartime period.
Attlee proclaimed at the time, “Progress is not possible without change, and change is not possible without courage.” Our new prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has echoed this sentiment throughout the election campaign, calling for “action, not words”.
It certainly makes the Foundation for Education Development’s (FED) new 2024 Education Consultation Report, which is drawn from insights gathered over a four-year qualitative survey on education and which lays out the critical immediate steps towards much-needed educational reform, feel all the more timely.
Long-term planning for schools
Most notably, in the survey 97 per cent of respondents said they believed that prioritising long-term perspectives in strategic education planning is imperative.
The constant turnover of political leadership and the frequent shifts in priorities have hindered the system’s ability to strategise, as evidenced by the turnover of 24 secretaries of state for education since 1979.
As such, Labour’s promise to act in a greater spirit of collaboration in all areas of public services, including education, is one that those of us at the FED certainly welcome. And our stakeholders, through our report, have identified several keys ways in which this can be achieved.
Perhaps the most notable of these is the idea of a ”National Education Assembly” to ensure a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to policy development, involving leaders, parents, educators, experts and stakeholders from various sectors.
Ideally, this assembly would be formed of 50 to 60 individuals, similar to the NHS Assembly. Members would be appointed after a call for expressions of interest and they would represent the diversity of stakeholder opinions.
They would serve a two-year term with the option to extend this to five years, and we would envisage that they meet once a term for at least half a day.
Empowering communities and educators to actively participate in shaping the future of education, fostering a sense of ownership and accountability, would align with the government’s stance that making essential improvements to our country is a national project that we must all get behind.
Bold action required
In her opening speech as education secretary Bridget Phillipson said she was “determined that we will drive change together. Together across government. Together with staff across education.”
The National Education Assembly is an idea that can facilitate just that and give the government the opportunity to not only honour its campaign promises but also demonstrate bold action in tackling the problem of the number of people in our education system who feel disconnected from strategic development.
After all, recognising the pivotal role that education plays in shaping the trajectory of our society, it is critical that our new leaders take action to establish a robust and forward-thinking system: a system that enables all our stakeholders to contribute to our collective endeavours so that they can help power the reset that is desired.
At this critical juncture, our new leaders must now turn their promises into bold initiatives, mindful of Attlee’s wisdom that “our actions today shape the world of tomorrow”. They must ensure that their actions transcend mere words and instead pave the way for a transformative educational landscape in England.
Carl Ward is chair of the Foundation for Education Development
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